


Bruised Hearts and Forgotten Memories

by wintershelter



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 12:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6611299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintershelter/pseuds/wintershelter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU for 1x12 "Last Refuge"</p><p>The Pilgrim is going back in time to kill the teams' younger selves when they're most vulnerable. The first stop on that list: Mick and Len's wedding day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruised Hearts and Forgotten Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this out before the new episode tomorrow. Also, the wedding date is shamelessly stolen from joker-quinn's fic "Morsels" because I am unoriginal and like the date.

“We will have to act quickly. Gideon is currently working on tracing the Pilgrim’s ship signal. From there will have to find the younger versions of yourselves and grab them before she can.”

“So, what is the plan from there?” Len asked.

“Pardon?” Rip asked.

“Let’s say we successfully find and kidnap ourselves. What’s to say she doesn’t go back even further to erase us from history?” Len asked.

“Yeah, and what are we gonna do with our younger selves. Hold them hostage on the Waverider indefinitely?” Sara challenged. It seemed like a half thought out plan, which knowing Rip, that’s probably what it was.

“We just need to keep your younger selves safe until the Pilgrim is no longer a threat.” Rip stated, looking pained.

“Meaning, when we kill her?” Ray chirped in.

“Precisely.” Rip said, barely sparing Ray a glance.

“This ain’t gonna work.” Mick added, taking a few steps back from the group.

Rip opened his mouth to retort but Gideon’s voice filtered through the speakers.

“Captain, I’ve traced the Pilgrim’s whereabouts. She is targeting Central City, March 14th 2001.”

Most everyone was distracted by the A.I. so no one noticed the resident criminals except for Sara’s trained eyes. Len who had been leisurely resting his forearms on the table, visibly bristled at Gideon’s information. He stood up straight, eyes flicking over to Mick. Mick’s eyes also went to Len, though his body language didn’t change.

Rip let out a short breath. “Gideon prepare a course for that time immediately.”

“Of course, Captain.”

“We will need to act fast. She could be targeting almost anyone of you in this time.”

“We should find Jefferson first.” Stein said. “He is by far the most vulnerable in this time period.”

“I lived in Hub City in 2001. I didn’t move to Central City until I was 14.”

“That’s a small relief. However, we will need to gather the rest of you who do reside here now.” Rip said.

Sara glanced over at Len. He had his trademark poker face on but Sara could see that something was wrong in the way he held himself. His whole demeanor screamed of tension.

“What is it?” Sara asked, voice soft, but still loud enough for the rest of the group to hear her.

Len met Sara’s eyes and then scanned everyone in the room, deliberately avoiding Mick, before deciding to speak.

“I’m pretty sure the Pilgrim is going after Mick and me.” Len stated his words with care.

“Why? What happened on March 14th?” Kendra asked.

Len’s pressed his lips together, eyes roaming over to Mick. They shared a brief look and while Kendra had been addressing Len with the question, it was Mick who answered.

“It was the day we got married.” Mick said gruffly.

There was dead silence for a solid two seconds before

“Wait, what?” Jax looked absolutely puzzled.

Ray’s eyebrows furrowed, then he opened his mouth in confusion while Kendra put a placating hand on his arm to try and calm him. Even Sara, who was the most perceptive of them all, had her eyebrows raised. She probably hadn’t guessed the married part.

Len would have enjoyed his teammate’s reactions if he and Mick were on better terms. If he wasn’t feeling vaguely sick to his stomach that the Pilgrim was going to try to erase them from existence on their wedding day.

Len wasn’t a sentimental man. Their wedding had been a quiet affair where they held the officiant at gun point and forced his signature with Lisa as their witness. There’d been no vows, or rings, or tuxes and aside from his sister, no one knew they were married. 

He clenched his fists tight and gritted his teeth as rage flooded his system. The Time Masters had already taken so much away from him. They’d taken Mick and remade him and now they wanted to take this from him too. Fuck no.

“We don’t have time for this.” Len snapped, sitting down in a seat and pulling the metal seat belt over himself.

His clipped tone and hard glare in his eyes had everyone shutting up and getting ready for the time jump. Len wasn’t even surprised when it was Sara who sat down next to him, Mick having already taken his seat next to Professor Stein who seemed completely unphased by the turn of events. Sara gave him a small reassuring smile before strapping herself in.

 

* * *

They had managed to intercept the Pilgrim before she could storm the deserted courthouse and crash the wedding. Not only did Len not want her screwing with his wedding day, but Lisa was in there too and Len would be damned before he let this insane woman anywhere near his sister.

The woman had come alone, but that honestly didn’t seem to matter much. The team had grown better at working together but they still weren’t seamless and no matter what tactic the team tried, it barely seemed to register with her. Len had grazed her with his Cold Gun and Sara had gotten at least two good hits to her ribs, but she was still fighting with all her might. She had even managed to sideline Kendra, knocking her down as she tried an aerial attack.

Mick said something to Firestorm and entered the fray by charging in. He was all brash strength and the sudden offense seemed to throw her off. Mick landed some expertly planned punches and while Mick was no stranger to violence, the techniques looked almost choreographed with their precision. It was both thrilling and unnerving to watch, knowing that the skill came from Len’s faults.

Firestorm came up quickly on her right and threw a fireball at her. She easily dodged it but the distraction cost her as Mick quickly took his knife and plunged it into her stomach. He said nothing to her as she fell where she stood, dead before she hit the concrete. Mick knelt down and wiped the knife clean on her jacket before re-sheathing the weapon.

Len powered his own gun down and let it rest down at his side. Mick turned back to the group, his eyes scanned everyone’s faces, stopping and holding Len’s for a brief second longer than the rest. Or maybe that was just his imagination.

They did a quick injury check but thankfully, no one was hurt too badly. Kendra was a little bruised and banged up from when the Pilgrim shot her down earlier, but even she was able to walk on her own, though Ray, always the gentleman, offered her his arm.

“Know any good bars around here?” Sara asked, as she sidled up to Len.

Len almost smiled. He could always count on Sara to be down for drink after a good fight. “I do, however whenever you walk into a bar, it always seems to end with fight.”

“Not always.” Sara retorted. “And don’t lie, you like a good bar brawl just as much as I do.”

Len smirked. “That’s true, but I’m afraid I’ll have to take a rain check. I promise to show you around some other time.” Len tried for a light drawl, but clearly failed.

Sara nodded and although the dim light made it hard to see the expression on Sara’s face, he would almost guess that it was understanding that crossed her features. She afforded him some privacy by dropping her pace to see how Kendra was faring behind them. Len was grateful for that.

Just as the team was ready to round the corner of the alleyway, they heard the telltale booming voice of one Mick Rory. But Mick was standing a little ways in front of him and that voice was coming from around the corner.

Len froze for a moment when he realized that it was them. It was their past selves. Rip motioned for them all to hide and they complied. Len crouched behind some wooden crates, the vantage point allowing him to see the street entrance. His heart lurched to his throat when he heard Mick’s clear voice echo down the alley.

“Now that Lisa’s gone, how we go about celebrating our honeymoon.” They were still down the sidewalk a little ways, but the sound was amplified by the acoustics of the tall buildings surrounding them.

“Down, boy.” Len said with amusement, the words promptly followed by the sound of what was unmistakably a kiss or two. “Actually, I have a proposal for you. Mayor Milson is off vacationing in Coast City this week. What do you say we go to his penthouse suite, drink all his booze, steal a few trinkets, and fuck on every surface?”

The team stayed silent as the younger versions of Leonard and Mick came into view. Len watched as the scene unfolded through the half rotted wood of the crate. The men were draped over another, almost leaning into each other as they walked. Len had an arm slung over Mick shoulders, while Mick had his arm around Len’s waist, thumb tucked in his belt loop.

“I like the sound of that.” Mick rumbled.

As their voices trailed away into the night, Rip made another hand gesture, which signaled for them to move. If only they could work this great while in the heat of battle.

They were able to sneak by without being seen by Leonard and Mick's counter parts. Len would deny looking back at the retreating couple as he heard their laughter drift to his ears on the wind, but that would be lie.

 

* * *

When they got to the Waverider, it felt like a quiet victory. The Pilgrim was dead but no one felt elation about it. It was a little anticlimactic really and the Time Masters would probably just going to send some other “terrifying” assassin that they seemed to have an endless supply of. The team slowly dispersed without many words. Thankfully, no one mentioned anything about seeing the younger Mick and Len which was good because Len was definitely not in the mood.

Mick had been the first one to leave the room and before long it was just Sara and Len left alone on the bridge. Sara quirked her eyebrows up at him.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Sara asked.

Len sat down in a chair and let his eyes fall closed as he leaned back against it. He gave a brief shake of his head. Sara had been ever willing to play therapist for the whole Len and Mick situation, but he really didn’t want to talk. Didn’t think he could without breaking into a million pieces. The events of the day had opened up some freshly healing wounds and honestly he just needed to be alone to try to gather himself.

When Len opened his eyes again, Sara was gone. He hadn’t even heard her leave. He could definitely learn a trick or two from her.

The fight was over and while everyone else was probably getting ready to sleep, his heart rate was still up. The Pilgrim’s attack had been too close to comfort. She had almost taken everyone he held dear in one fell swoop. If they hadn’t reached them in time, he shudders to think of what would’ve happened to Lisa or Mick.

Not only that, but it had been his and Mick’s wedding day. He felt nostalgia pinch at his heart again. It had been an undercurrent all day but after seeing their younger selves, so bright eyed and in love, it had brought back the memories of that night in full force.

Len could still picture the way Mick had looked at him when he picked up the pen to sign his name, how even they couldn’t resist sealing the deal with a kiss. After it was official, Mick had looped his arm around him and they’d strutted out, license in hand. Len had memorized every inch of the document under the glow of the street lamps before handing it over to Mick to burn with his lighter. He remembered how Mick had nuzzled into his neck as he worked on cracking the security code to the Mayor’s house and how once inside, Mick immediately pressed him to the wall and swallowed his moans with his mouth.

Heavy boot steps walking into the room jarred Len out of his thoughts. He shifted his gaze and found Mick, steadily making his way over to where he was sitting. Len would admit that he was a little surprised to see him here. Aside from the team meetings and missions, Mick had been completely avoiding Len. The few times they had found themselves in the same place together, Mick would give him a scowl and leave abruptly. The fact he seemed to be actively seeking him out was out of character and put Len on alert. He schooled his expression and repositioned himself slightly, pulling himself taller in his seat to feign confidence. Mick stopped a few feet in front of him.

“Thought you’d be in your room by now.” Len drawled.

Mick shrugged. “I’m too wired to sleep.”

“Hmmm.” That makes two of us then. Mick clearly had something he wanted to say but Len wasn’t going to force it out of the man. He let his eyes fall closed as he waited for Mick to make the next move.

“What’re you doing out here?” Mick asked.

“I’m thinking.” Len said, not offering more.

It was silent for a while. Mick, while no Sara, had definitely had become stealthier, courtesy of the Time Masters. Len was just starting to think Mick had finally scampered off when his voice filled the room again.

“What are you thinking about?”

Len blinked his eyes open to glare at Mick. “Things.” He said, drawing out the word.

Mick leaned back against the console, crossing his arms, before speaking again. “Our wedding.” It wasn’t a question.

Len grimaced slightly at Mick’s even and controlled tone. “Could you really fault me if I was? We lived through it and to see it again, to see us back then…” Len trailed off, his throat threatening to close off if he finished that sentence.

Mick was silent but made no move to leave. He looked completely relaxed while Len felt like his insides were trying to tear themselves apart.

“Do you really not give a damn anymore?” Len said before he realized he was actually speaking the words out loud.

“A lot of things have happened between then and now.” Mick said.

“That’s not an answer.” Len observed.

“Yeah, well, that’s the best I can give you.”

Len stood up suddenly, anger boiling in his gut. He walked a few steps away from Mick, moving him closer to the exit in case he needed a quick escape, before he rounded back to face Mick. “Aside from Lisa, you know me better than anyone else does. We’ve been through so much together, Mick. We’ve shared decades together. Don’t you remember any of that?”

“Yeah, I do, but in those decades I seem to recall a lot of you leaving me.”

Len felt the sting of that comment like a physical blow to the face. He had no retort ready for that because it was true. Len bit his lip. “I know.” He admitted, softly. “And even if I came back for you, or at least meant to, it still doesn’t make it right that I left you in the first place. I should never have left.”

Mick huffed out a short breath. “This can’t be fixed with an apology and a fight.”

Len sighed heavily. “It’s a start though.”

“A start to what?” Mick asked.

Len gave him a wan smile. “I honestly don’t know. We can’t go back to how we were, this mission has changed us too much. But what I do know is this isn’t something I can do without you. It would be easier if I could, but I can’t. I can’t pretend that you’re still not the most important thing in my world, because you are. And I will do everything I can to make this right.”

Len wasn’t one to spew his feelings everywhere especially when tonight had already left him feeling raw but this needed to be said. Mick was finally listening to him and he might not get the chance again before Mick went back to ignoring him.

Mick took a step closer to Len, arms uncrossing. “Okay.”

Len blinked because what?

“Okay?” He asked, uncertainty coloring his tone.

“I’m not forgiving you for what you did because you were right, you shouldn’t have left me.” Mick said. “But there is a part of me that still gives a damn about you for some reason.”

Len held his breath at the confession. For the first time since he found out about all the years the Time Masters had forced between them, Len allowed himself to feel something that had been missing since Chronos’ helmet came off… Hope.

Mick, having said his piece, deemed the conversation done and breezed past him, leaving Len the sole person on the bridge once more. The tightness around his heart was still there. It probably would always be there and that was just as so. He deserved the guilt and then some for how much Mick had suffered because of him, but upon hearing that Mick still cared about him, that coil of pain had unfurled slightly.

They weren’t fixed. Might never be fixed, but Len was steadied by the knowledge that this might not be completely irreparable. Len would gamble on those odds. He didn’t plan on losing Mick. Granted, he hadn’t planned on it before either, but he knew better this time. He had already left Mick two times when it had mattered. He wasn’t going to make that same mistake a third time.


End file.
